SOUTH DEERFIELD — When the final ball hit the ground at Goodnow Gymnasium on Friday — signaling a 3-0 Frontier volleyball victory over Pioneer — a small celebration broke out on the Redhawk bench, but it wasn’t anywhere close to the celebration they were hoping to have at the conclusion of the season.
The 25-8, 25-16, 25-13 sweep capped a perfect 10-0 record this season. Not only did the Redhawks go undefeated, they didn’t drop a single set along the way, sweeping each Franklin County opponent they faced.
Frontier coach Sean MacDonald said the defending MIAA Div. 3 state champs are proud of the way they played this season, though not having the opportunity to defend their title at the state level leaves them with a bittersweet feeling.
“We’re grateful we even got to play at all,” MacDonald said, “but it is tough. We had so much back from the 2019 championship team… so much experience and talent back. We’re thankful to play, we had some really great scrimmages and we did get better but an undefeated season is suppposed to end in a state championship and we didn’t get that. I understand it’s a pandemic and people have lost their livelihood and lives so I know where volleyball ranks there but we still would have liked to have an opportunity to play statewide.”
Olivia Deane finished with five kills and six aces in her final match with the Redhawks, while Lilah Evans added four aces and kills and Morgan Martineau recorded three kills. Sydney Scanlon had seven assists while Olivia Roswarne dished six assists for Frontier.
For seniors like Deane, not having the chance to repeat leaves something to be desired from this shortened season.
“It is a little anticlimatic,” Deane said. “Postseason is just different. It’s a new level of risk, it’s a new level of pressure and without that we’re not testing our capabilities as much which is a little sad. Of course we miss having lots of fans, the pressure, the parades we get when we come home, all those aspects.”
Playing strictly local opponents was a change for Frontier, which typically plays schools from around the state during the regular season. The goal in a normal season is to best prepare for a deep tournament run.
“All respect to the teams in Franklin County, we’re used to playing schools like Minnechaug and Longmeadow, Div. 1 and Div. 2 schools,” Deane said. “We miss that fast-paced, long rally kind of feeling. We also miss the feeling of pressure. We had a great match with Turners the other day, they were a great team and that was great for the younger kids and us to feel that pressure. We got whatever we could out of the season.”
Though they might not have been challenged as much as they have been in the past, the Redhawks still felt they grew and got better as the season went on. Frontier put an emphasis on finding ways to improve. Feeling the speed of its sets as well as passing came a long way as the season progressed.
“We wanted to play well and win games but we really wanted to get better,” senior Reilly Isler said. “Our practices this year have been amazing. We had some great intersquad scrimmages. Not losing any sets is a perk but the bigger payoff has been getting experience trying new things and getting better than going undefeated.”
With a large senior class, the veteran Redhawks tried to prepare the younger players for next season, with everyone getting time on the court this season.
“One of my favorite things this year was seeing the younger girls on the team growing in confidence,” Isler said. “They were able to play a lot more than they would have in a normal season. Something we’ve talked so much about is how excited we are to see them next year. They’re so ready for it.”
For the Panthers, Lily Faille finished with two aces and a kill on Friday. Emily Tibbetts had two blocks, an assist and two digs and Jane Potee scored an ace.
Like Frontier, Pioneer players felt they grew and got much better throughout the season.
“This year we’ve improved a lot,” Faille said. “COVID changed everything. We’ve had to really work hard and play schools like Frontier that are out of our division. It’s a real challenge for us but to get on the scoreboard and keep them working was really impressive for us.”
Seniors like Faille and Tibbetts believe the team is in a great place going forward.
“I feel like I’m leaving behind a team that’s going to be so much better next year,” Faille said. “What they’ve learned this year has been awesome and they’re going to do great in the future. I’m sad to leave but I know they’ll do great without us.”